JOINT DECLARATION FOR COOPERATION TO COMBAT INTERNATIONAL
TERRORISM
The Governments of Brunei the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Republic of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Union of the Republic of the Philippines, the Republic of Singapore, the Kingdom of Thailand, the
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Member Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Republic of India, hereinafter referred to collectively as "the participants";
MINDFUL of the 2001 ASEAN Declaration on Joint Action to
Counter Terrorism, which, inter alia, undertakes to strengthen cooperation at bilateral, regional and international levels in combating terrorism in a comprehensive manner and affirms that at the
level the United Nations should play a major role in this regard;
REAFFIRMING their commitment to counter, prevent and
suppress all forms of terrorist acts in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, international law and all the relevant United Nations resolutions or declarations on international terrorism, in particular the principles outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolutions and 1390;
action to protect and defend all peoples and the peace and security of the world;
REJECTING any attempt to associate terrorism with any religion, race or nationality;
RECOGNISING the principles of sovereign equality, territorial
integrity and non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other States;
ACKNOWLEDGING the value of cooperation on security, intelligence and law enforcement matters, and desiring to entering into such a cooperation to combat international terrorism through the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime, as a leading ASEAN body for combating terrorism, and other mechanisms;
RECOGNISING the transnational nature of terrorist activities
and the need to strengthen international cooperation at all levels in combating terrorism in a comprehensive manner;
DESIRING to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation between the relevant agencies of the participants' governments;
Solemnly declare as follows:
1. The participants reaffirm the importance of having a framework for cooperation to prevent, disrupt and combat international terrorism through the exchange and flow of information, intelligence and
2. The participants emphasize that the purpose of this cooperation is to enhance the efficacy of those efforts to combat terrorism.
Scope and Areas of Cooperation:
3. The participants stress their commitment to seek to implement the principles laid out in this Declaration, in accordance with their respective domestic laws and their specific circumstances, in any or all
i. Continue and improve intelligence and terrorist financing information sharing on counter-terrorism measures, including the development of more effective counter-terrorism policies and legal, regulatory and administrative counter-terrorism regimes.
ii. Enhance liaison relationships amongst their law enforcement agencies to engender practical counter-terrorism regimes.
iii. Strengthen capacity-building efforts through training and education; consultations between officials, analysts and field operators; and seminars, conferences and joint operations as appropriate.
Provide assistance on transportation, border and immigration control challenges, including document and identity fraud to stem effectively the flow of terrorist-related material, money and people.
v. Comply with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1267, 1390 and other United Nations resolutions or declarations on international terrorism.
vi. Explore on a mutual basis additional areas of cooperation.
Participation:
4. Participants are called upon to become parties to all 12 of the United Nations conventions and protocols relating to terrorism.
The participants are each called upon to designate an agency to coordinate with law enforcement agencies, authorities dealing with countering terrorism financing and other concerned government agencies, and to act as the central point of contact for the purposes of implementing this Declaration.
Disclosure of Information:
Implementation:
7. All the participants are urged to promote and implement in good faith and effectively the provisions of the present Declaration in all its aspects.
ADOPTED by the Heads of State/Government of ASEAN
